Former National Coordinator of the defunct Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA), Abuga Pele has stated that he was busy campaigning in his constituency and was not aware of when the state paid monies to Goodwill International.
Mr. Pele, a former Member of Parliament for Chiana/Paga in the Upper East Region and a businessman, Mr Philip Akpeena Assibit, were sentenced to a total of 18 years in prison on February 23, 2018 for their involvement in the GH¢4.1 million GYEEDA scandal.
The two were put before court in 2014.
The court concluded that Mr Pele entered into an unlawful agreement with Mr Assibit, prevailing on the state to make payments when no work had been done.
The former GYEEDA National Coordinator who was serving a six-year jail term for causing financial loss to state was granted a presidential pardon by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on health grounds in July, 2021.
Mr. Pele speaking on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show today, July 21, 2022 said that “ I was not even aware of when they paid them [Goodwill International] because I was busy campaigning in the constituency.”
“Subsequently I was taken to court, of course, the only criteria we can determine somebody’s guilt or whether somebody is right or wrong is the court system. Whether it is good or bad you have to accept it. I was found guilty and I accepted,” he added.
Earlier, Abuga Pele said he still cannot fathom why he was prosecuted by the state.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Osuman Kaapore Tahiru|Ghana
